Articles

TOP GUN (1986): A 40th Anniversary Retrospective

Introduction Top Gun (1986) was a film that defined the military and action genres from the 1980’s on. Combining a high-octane story with an amazing...

The Making of POINT BLANK (1967)

Introduction Point Blank, released in 1967, is widely considered to be one of the best and most influential movies of the 1960s. Filmmakers such as...

POWER BALLAD Review: Second Chances And Missed Opportunities

Introduction I have been trying to find a way to start this review of Power Ballad ever since I saw it at SXSW. It has...

JAWS At 50: The Shark That Still Won’t Quit

Introduction Half a century ago, a great white shark chomped its way into the cultural zeitgeist, forever reshaping the landscape of American cinema. Cinema Scholars...

“Death Doesn’t Like to Be Cheated”: A 25th Anniversary Retrospective On FINAL DESTINATION

Introduction When Final Destination premiered in Spring 2000, it arrived quietly, without the hype of a franchise in waiting. A high-concept thriller from X-Files veterans...

Scholars’ Spotlight: Burt Reynolds

Early Years Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. was born in Lansing, Michigan, on February 11, 1936. Reynolds had a nomadic childhood because his father was in...

James Bond: The Future Of The World’s Most Famous Superspy…Part Deux?

Introduction Back in September of last year, we wrote here about the future of the James Bond franchise after Daniel Craig went out with a...

The Making of CLUELESS: 30 Years of Valley Girl Vibes, Cher Horowitz, and Unlikely Legacies

Introduction As we all know, Clueless is a cultural touchstone. Released in 1995, it captured the essence of '90s fashion, high school drama, and the...